


reminiscing

by henloamhere



Category: Haikyuu!!, haikyu!!
Genre: Best Dad Daichi, Canon Compliant, Daichi being a Good Captain, Daichi is proud, Karasuno Volleyball Club - Freeform, We Die Like Men, future captain yamaguchi, nationals spoilers, no beta read, please don’t read if you’re not caught up, the only thing not canon is the music boxes, this is actually based off of an instagram post i saw, this is all platonic since i didn’t wanna write ships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:00:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23465095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/henloamhere/pseuds/henloamhere
Summary: It all ended so fast, yet Daichi watched everything happen in slow motion.
Relationships: Daichi Sawamura & Karasuno Volleyball Club
Comments: 3
Kudos: 23





	reminiscing

**Author's Note:**

> this was based off of an instagram post so if you want to see it, i’ll link it to the bottom note

It all ended so fast, yet Daichi watched everything happen in slow motion. 

Daichi watched as Tanaka reached out to help Hinata up. He felt himself walking closer when Hinata missed Tanaka’s hand and fell on all fours. Watching Hinata unable to get up from his extraordinary vertical was the strangest experience. 

It was like watching a baby learn how to stand for the first time—slowly, carefully lifting itself up off of the ground, only to fall backwards because its wobbly legs weren’t ready to stand just yet. The difference between those two experiences were the emotion surrounding it: for the baby, joy would be evoked as it is a milestone for the baby to stand up on its own, but to see Hinata Shouyou unable to get up from his own specialty, it evoked concern and fear for the worst. 

Seeing Hinata jump for the first time, Daichi had been surprised, but as time went on, he watched with pride as Hinata worked to jump higher. To fly higher. To see Hinata’s most prominent skill taken from him was a scene Daichi never thought he would see. 

His fears were confirmed once Kageyama’s calm voice pulled Daichi out of his daze. 

_“He probably has a fever.”_

_39.1° C_

-

They sent Hinata off to the hospital with promises of winning the game for him, more determined than ever to win the match even if tsunamis of exhaustion washed them down. 

-

Daichi watched the ball fall in an excruciatingly slow manner, Tanaka’s dive a few centimetres short of where it would land. 

If there was any other noise sounding as the scene played out, his ears ignored it. All he could hear were his heartbeat and the all too familiar sound of the ball landing, ending the match as well as his high school volleyball career. 

_Set count: 2-1_  
_Final scores: 25-20 | 22-25 | 25-23_  
_Winner: Kamomedai_

There were cheers in the stadium for Kamomedai’s victory, as for Karasuno, its audience applauded sympathetically.

Daichi plopped down on the ground to catch his breath, staring at the high and bright ceiling he was finally able to see after three years of blood, sweat, and tears. 

Cheers died down, only to rise back up when the third years bowed down in gratitude to their audience one final time. 

-

Although they lost, it still felt good to finally experience stepping onto the orange court. 

On their way back to the hotel, Tsukishima said that he wanted to see Kamomedai’s tapes again, causing Daichi to tear up and compare his now former teammates to seals. 

Daichi thought it would be good to give them one final consolation speech. Soon after it, Kageyama spoke with words that conveyed the emotions Daichi knew Kageyama was too stubborn to show, causing the team to become an emotional mess once more. 

_“But, I wanted to take this team further.”_

Daichi grinned.

_They really are just like seals._

-

Exhaustion washed over the team as they stepped onto the club room one last time. 

They didn’t have to be there, they could all go home, yet they all sat about in the club room, sitting in silence as they all just enjoyed each other’s company. 

Yamaguchi stood up right before Daichi was going to shoo them out of the club room. He held out a music box with a note to Daichi, bowed and screamed,

_“Please take this!”_

This sudden outburst surprised Daichi and the other third years, but what amazed them more was when Kageyama, Hinata (who was being steadied by Tanaka and Nishinoya), and Yachi stood up as well, imitating Yamaguchi’s actions to Sugawara, Asahi, and Kiyoko with an identical music box but different notes respectively. 

They accepted their gifts, tears already streaming down their faces as their former teammates lined up in front of them and bowed.

_“Thank you!”_

-

Years later, Daichi is sitting in his apartment, sorting through his things from high school. His team jacket was neatly placed in his closet. He found the picture of his team with their backs facing the camera as they pointed at the text on their backs and framed it, placing it on his nightstand.

He heard a thump and Sugawara cursing loudly in the apartment next door. Daichi huffed a laugh, knowing he probably stubbed his toe on a box while he was settling in. They had both moved into apartments next to each other just a few days ago so Daichi might offer to help unpack once he’s finished sorting his own stuff out. 

After a little bit more digging, Daichi heard some tinkling and saw the music box and note Yamaguchi had gifted him all those years ago. He wound it up, listening as the music box played the first song he and his team heard at nationals. 

It really did take him back. 

Memories flooded his senses as he felt himself holding Karasuno’s sign, proudly leading them to their spot on the gym’s lineup. He smelled the freshly cleaned floors, the vendors, and the Air Salonpas. He saw the bright lights and the high ceiling that gave them a rocky start to their time at nationals. He heard the orchestra playing as crowds roared for when their team had been introduced. 

Smiling to himself, Daichi let the music box continue to play its tune. 

-

_Daichi-san,_

_Even if we didn’t win nationals, thank you for being a major part of the team getting there._

_Thank you for never giving up on the team. Thank you for staying when we lost to Aoba Johsai at the prefectural qualifiers rather than retiring to prepare for college. Thank you for keeping us in line, encouraging us, and most of all, being our steady support._

_Don’t discredit yourself saying us underclassmen are the biggest reason why we have made a name for our school because without you, our team would never become the force it is today. Without you, our volleyball team would only be just good. We’d still be ‘the fallen champions’ other schools would jeer at when they heard they were playing against us. Without you, our team would be a repeat of your previous years:_

_Losing at the interhigh, and the third years retiring a season too early._

_Your leadership inspired many of us to strive to become better. You are the cornerstone of our defence, and the leader we look up to._

_With this, I give you one final thank you for believing in me._

_\- Yamaguchi Tadashi, no. 12_

_PS: The second years had the idea of the music boxes, while the first years wrote letter to the third year who influenced them most. We got Tsukki to write a letter to Akaashi (who isn’t a third year but he was the only one Tsukki would write to willingly), and a collective letter to Bokuto and Kuroo. (They tackled him with a giant hug and I took pictures so there should be a copy of it in the envelope!) :)_

_PPS: This won’t be the last time Karasuno went to nationals. When it’s my turn to become captain, I WILL make you proud!_

-

They really are just like seals.

**Author's Note:**

> here it is!
> 
> https://www.instagram.com/p/B-fYNCUppuD/?igshid=1aogc0w5f5i40


End file.
